6' WM.WIW.M.2,-m, How about saying sorry? Re: “isn't this auï¬d?’; Ian. 24. I was so sad after leading Jeanne Kerâ€" Homell Clarke’s account of her late hus- band’s treatment in the emergency room at Markham-Stoufl’ville Hospital. I have elderly grandpai‘ents and the thought of something like this happening to them made me sick. 77 Then I read the response from hospital chief of staff David Austin and was angry. 7 Sure, he said he was disappointed and gave a lengthy explanation about the prob- lem of overrun ERs and limited beds, but to saythat the “emergency physicians and nurses do their utmost to provide every patient with the beSt possible care every day" doesn’t seem true in this case. If they did their utmost to provide the best care, why did this man have no help to go to the bathroom and why didn’t anybody clean up the urine on the floor or change the bloody sheets after his IV needle came out? I ï¬nd it hard to believe during the sev- eral hours in which his wife went home for the night, not one person at the hospital could spare ï¬ve minutes to clean the floor. But ‘what bothered me most about the chief of staff’s response was the lack of apology. I know “sorry†doesn’t ï¬x every- A thing: not even close â€"â€" but sometimes it’s needed and helps the pain just a little. TANYA COULTHARD MARKHAM My husband, Paul Donahoe, passed away at Markham Stouffville Hospital in the emergency depart- ment Oct. 9, 2007 and I can only sing praises about this hospital and its dedicated physicians, staff, vol- unteers and administration, who work long, stressful hours, often shortâ€"stalled, with limited funds. Many of the individuals who have cared for my husband know how I feel about this hospital‘and the individuals who work there. My husband was a 25 year vet- eran of the Markham ï¬re depart- ment who died of Nonâ€"Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He fought the disease for ï¬ve years and, unfortunately, died of a pulmonary embolism, a complication of this disease. M .‘. We were at Markham Stouffville several times for setbacks such as life-threatening strep pneumonia or a subdural haematoma and no, each and every visit wasn’t perfect. I would agree Our health care system is very strained at the moment, resources are limited and the Health Ministry doesn’t make the life of a hospital any easier with lET'I'ERS POLICY The Sun-Tribune welcomes your letters. All submissions must be less man 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number. name and address. The SunJHbune reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space. Lotta: to the Edna. TM Son-Wm 6290 Main St 32mm, 0'" MA 067 imasonozmlLom ION lmmcnva MEDIA Markedng Advertising Manager Dawna Andrews dandmmï¬â€™ynng.mm 13an Editor lim Mason imacanymg.rnm constant changes in the system and limited funding. \Aï¬thout a doubt, if there was some consistency and stabil- ity for an extended period, hospital administrations could spend less time jumping through hoops and get down to the business of running hospitals and caring for patients. That said, I am 2i strong believer of trying to be a part of the solution, trying to help the system. v I Have beeome 2i strong advocate for taking responsibility for your own health care whenever possible and with whatever resources are available to you. The question is for many, how can we do that? l have learned a few tips that were invaluable in our many crises. One of the ï¬rst things you should do, especially when you have a large family, is assign one person to speak with the doctors and nurses. This will eliminate an end- less number of phone calls to the nurse's station and allow the physi- cians and nurses more time to care for the patient, less confusion and Hard to ï¬nd family doctor Re: “Isn’t it augful?’2 Ian. 24. l was touched to read this article. Indeed, it must have been a very difï¬cult experience for Jeanne Ker-Home“ Clarke and her husband. I thank her for sharing such a touching and pergonal_spo_ry. _ M Also, I appreciate the chief of staff responded. Let’s hope solutions are found quickly so another family does not have to go through a situation again. U My own experiences with the health care system have been, for the most part, good. Yes, I’ve endured long waits at emerâ€" gency and have had difliculty ï¬nding good health care for members of my family. But my own doctor is a wonderful and committed physician, who delivered my ï¬rst child. My next two childrenwere deliv- ered by wonderful, committed midwives. Also, I was fortunate to have found a very good pediatrician in Markham. I was only able to be accepted into this practice through the reference of a friend. I have volunteered in hospitals since I was a teenager. I met some fantastic volunâ€" teers during my time there. I was nSt able to meet many hospital staff as I volunteered in the evenings. It has been difï¬cult to ï¬nd a family phyâ€" sician who is accepting new patients. And it is even more difï¬cult to ï¬nd specialists without having to wait months. Classiï¬ed Manager Ann Campbell nmmphdlï¬yrmg.mm Retail Manager Stacey Allen Anvmmsmc 'Sï¬W-Ti'ibune mllenéyrrngmm PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot 6290 Main St Stouflvme, GM. MA 167 wwwwrmgionmm SADIA BAIG MARKHAM more streamlined information. Second. ask questions and lots of them. When you are sitting countless hours in an emergency room or as an inpatient in the hospital, you have lots of questions and you must ask them. Don’t just accept what is taking place. ' Understandably, you can’t go and interrupt the physician every time you have a question, so write a list and present them to the doctor or nurse when you have an oppor- tunity. Assistant Classiï¬ed ; Manager on.» Bonnie Rondeau 2:“ bmndeauï¬â€™yrmg.mm E Luanne Donahoe Guest Column MM Busmnss MANAGER Robert Lazurko Burma [N Cum Debora Kelly é“ ridâ€! A r: ragrd Your questions get answered in an efï¬cient manner, they are writ- ten down so they won't be forgotâ€" ten by the medical staï¬ and you don’t have to try to remember them when the time comes. If necessary, arrange for a family meeting with the attending physician or nurse. Finally, 1 am strong advocate for ensuring you have a medical his- tory typed up and ready to go, espe- cially if you or your family member has a longâ€"term illness. When someone is in a crisis, they are emotional and don't think clearly and important details may be forgotten. A medical history eliminates having to worry about remembering the details. I speak from personal experience-on this. Health care providers love them because it makes their jobs easier and more efï¬cient and, believe me, they refer to them. Medical histories greatly assist emergency personnel such as para- medics, ï¬reï¬ghters and police. Classiï¬ed Without question, the more information they have at their ï¬nâ€" gertips and the quicker they receive EDITORIAL 905-640-2612 Fax: 905â€"640-8778 ADVERTISING 905â€"640-2612 uï¬cd: 1-800-743â€"3353 Fax: 905-640â€"8778 DISTRIBUTION 905â€"640-2612 Dumcron 1mm“! Mann 5: TECHNOLOGY lohn Futhey A York Region Media Group community newspaper The Sun-Tribune,'pubiished every Thursday and Saturday. is a division of the Metroiand Media Group Ltd. a whollyâ€"owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. Metroiand is comprised of 100 community publications across Ontario. The York Region Newspaper Group includes The liberal, sewing Richmond Hill am Thomhiii. Vaughan Citizen,The Era-Banner (Newmarket/Aurora), Markham Economist Sun, Georgina Advocate, York Region Business Times, North of the City, yorkregioncom and York RegionPrinting. DIIBCIOI. Cmcuumou Svsmus Lynn Pashko a stxmnlmou Barry Black it, the more efï¬ciently they can assist that patient. Once I typed up a medical his- tory, it made my husband's medical care much more efï¬cient. It also allowed for the possibility I may not be with my husband or be the one taking him to emergency. Over these past ï¬ve years, we all did the best we could to care for my husband, however, I learned not go in with “blind faith†and without doing my bit to help. I believe whenever my husband was in the hospital, it was never “them†(the hospital) or “us†(my husband, myself, and my family), but I always felt I was a part of my husband’s “caregiver†team. I felt compelled to do what I could to assist with that care. There were times when I quesâ€" tioned a treatment plan or had a concern and, yes, I was listened to, my concerns addressed and, in fact, one time, a treatment plan was changed as a result of my inquiries. SEW-Tribune WE are all in this together and the best way to improve the system is to work as a team. and